A New Day Dawns Among the Trees

I have a special place I go to most mornings nestled within the trees. It is a perfect environment in which I am the outsider. With each visit, I quietly observe the pace of the world around me. Although it seems still, life is all around me.

An awakening world…

It begins with a song from the birds’ unseen, followed by the rat-tat-tat of a woodpecker in search of food. 

Above and behind me I hear the sound of nails scratching against the bark of the tall sturdy cedar that always has my back. I know this is Gabby, the Douglas Squirrel who calls this cedar home, coming to investigate this outsider once again. With a pounding heart and calculated moves, she makes her way down the trunk of the tree for a closer look! I quietly say good morning to her.

In an instant I am witness to a large pileated woodpecker in search of its morning meal. Her call is loud and strong as she glides effortlessly through the trees beside me and lands on a nearby trunk. She moves about the tree bouncing up and down and with an acute ear she finds her meal and just like that is off again!

Within moments and in complete contrast, I begin to hear the approach of a small humming motor and a hummingbird gracefully flutters by me. She shows me her skill of flight by moving up and down and side-to-side with each rapid beat of her tiny wings! She is in search of some much-needed morning nectar and quickly continues on her way zipping throughout the forest.

Off in the distance I can hear pinecones dropping from high above. This is a sure sign my squirrel friends must be near. Without warning this outsider, quiet and peaceful, suddenly becomes an intricate part of this environment. As the two squirrels’ scuffle about, they suddenly find themselves circling down my cedar tree and in an instant my shoulder becomes the launching pad to further distance one of the squirrels from its pursuer! For a brief moment we were one, and as I smile and look in admiration at my newly-bonded friend, he simply pauses at the base of the neighboring tree pondering just what I am.

As the forest begins to fully awaken, it is bustling with life that often goes unnoticed.

Everything is in complete harmony!

The multitude of mosaic branches become highways in the sky for any critter in need.

As the first rays of sunlight reach the forest floor, the tiniest of insects begin to rise in the rays warmth.

Next come the ground birds snuggled from beneath the ferns and holly.

The songbirds take note and begin their joyful chorus.

A light breeze moves through the air and the leaves begin to dance.

This is life living in perfect harmony with one another.

This is what a new day of unlimited possibilities feels like!